Market will now shift focus to Washington as Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the US on January 20. Will a new President save the US economy and restore banking stability? Although many plans are in the pipeline and will be launched as soon as Obama takes office, including a new round of fiscal stimulus, in the form of tax cuts and government spending, and financial stimulus, perhaps in the form of a bad bank to take over bad assets of banks, it will take time for these measures to take effect. In the mean time, bank and corporate earnings will continue to disappoint and economic conditions will deteriorate. Despite government efforts, the US unemployment rate could surge past 9%, from 7.2% at present. All these will bode badly for riskier assets and provide more room for the US dollar to score further gains against other majors in the first quarter of this year.

Interest Rates

The race to zero rates is still on. After the Fed cut rates to a range of zero to 0.25% and the Bank of Japan to 0.1%, other central banks are not far behind. The Bank of England and the European Central Bank reduced rates by 50bps in the past two weeks as their economies fell into deeper recession. Rates in the UK stand at 1.5% and that in the euro zone at 2%. Both central banks signaled that more rate cuts could be expected if the downturn accelerates. The decline in inflation as a result of falling oil and commodity prices also give monetary authorities more leeway for further policy easing.

With US rates near zero, the Fed is resorting to unconventional monetary policy to revive lending. It is using its balance sheet to purchase commercial paper and mortgage backed securities. Starting in February, the Fed will provide three-year term loans to investors against consumer and small business loans. If credit conditions do not improve, the Fed might consider purchasing longer term securities as a means to push down longer term interest rates.

As a matter of fact, the Fed’s action has already helped ease stress in money markets, as evidenced by a narrowing spread, from over 450 bps in October 2008 to around 100 bps in mid-January 2009, between interbank interest rates and Treasury Bill rates. Mortgage rates have also come down after its announced plan of purchasing mortgage backed securities in government sponsored enterprises. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped below 5% in mid-January 2009, from about 6.5% in the last week of October, 2008.

The Fed is determined to revive growth and there is no limit to how far it Fed could expand its balance sheet. But the Fed’s action will of course has long term consequences, including escalating money supply growth and inflation, if not handled carefully and promptly.

合同编号(Contract No.): _______________

签订日期(Date) :＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_

签订地点(Signed at) :＿＿＿＿＿＿＿____

买方：＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

The Buyer:＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

地址： ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Address: ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

电话(Tel):___＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ 传真(Fax):＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

电子邮箱(E-mail):＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

卖方：＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

The Seller:＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

地址：＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Address: ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_＿

电话(Tel):_＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ 传真(Fax):＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

电子邮箱(E-mail):＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

买卖双方同意按照下列条款签订本合同：

The Seller and the Buyer agree to conclude this Contract subject to the terms and conditions stated below:

1. 货物名称、规格和质量（Name, Specifications and Quality of Commodity）：

2. 数量（Quantity）：

允许＿＿＿＿的溢短装（＿＿＿% more or less allowed）

3. 单价（Unit Price）：

4. 总值（Total Amount）：

5. 交货条件(Terms of Delivery) FOB/CFR/CIF＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

6. 原产地国与制造商 (Country of Origin and Manufacturers):

7. 包装及标准（Packing）：

货物应具有防潮、防锈蚀、防震并适合于远洋运输的包装，由于货物包装不良而造成的货物残损、灭失应由卖方负责。卖方应在每个包装箱上用不褪色的颜色标明尺码、包装箱号码、毛重、净重及“此端向上”、“防潮”、“小心轻放”等标记。

The packing of the goods shall be preventive from dampness, rust, moisture, erosion and shock, and shall be suitable for ocean transportation/ multiple transportation. The Seller shall be liable for any damage and loss of the goods attributable to the inadequate or improper packing. The measurement, gross weight, net weight and the cautions such as “Do not stack up side down”, “Keep away from moisture”, “Handle with care” shall be stenciled on the surface of each package with fadeless pigment.

8. 唛头（Shipping Marks）：

9. 装运期限（Time of Shipment）：

10. 装运口岸（Port of Loading）：

11. 目的口岸（Port of Destination）：

12. 保险（Insurance）：

由＿＿＿＿按发票金额110%投保＿＿＿＿＿险和＿＿＿＿＿附加险。

Insurance shall be covered by the ________ for 110% of the invoice value against _______ Risks and __________ Additional Risks.

13. 付款条件（Terms of Payment）：

(1) 信用证方式：买方应在装运期前/合同生效后＿＿日，开出以卖方为受益人的不可撤销的议付信用证，信用证在装船完毕后＿＿日内到期。

Letter of Credit: The Buyer shall, ______ days prior to the time of shipment /after this Contract comes into effect, open an irrevocable Letter of Credit in favor of the Seller. The Letter of Credit shall expire ____ days after the completion of loading of the shipment as stipulated.

(2) 付款交单：货物发运后，卖方出具以买方为付款人的付款跟单汇票，按即期付款交单（D/P）方式，通过卖方银行及＿＿＿＿＿银行向买方转交单证，换取货物。

Documents against payment: After shipment, the Seller shall draw a sight bill of exchange on the Buyer and deliver the documents through Sellers bank and ______ Bank to the Buyer against payment, i.e D/P. The Buyer shall effect the payment immediately upon the first presentation of the bill(s) of exchange.

(3) 承兑交单：货物发运后，卖方出具以买方为付款人的付款跟单汇票，付款期限为＿＿＿＿后＿＿日，按即期承兑交单(D/A＿＿日)方式，通过卖方银行及＿＿＿＿＿＿银行，经买方承兑后，向买方转交单证，买方在汇票期限到期时支付货款。

Documents against Acceptance: After shipment, the Seller shall draw a sight bill of exchange, payable_____ days after the Buyers delivers the document through Seller’s bank and _________Bank to the Buyer against acceptance (D/A ___ days). The Buyer shall make the payment on date of the bill of exchange.

(4) 货到付款：买方在收到货物后＿＿天内将全部货款支付卖方（不适用于FOB、CRF、CIF术语）。

Cash on delivery (COD): The Buyer shall pay to the Seller total amount within ______ days after the receipt of the goods (This clause is not applied to the Terms of FOB, CFR, CIF).

14. 单据（Documents Required）：

卖方应将下列单据提交银行议付/托收：

The Seller shall present the following documents required to the bank for negotiation/collection:

(1) 标明通知收货人/受货代理人的全套清洁的、已装船的、空白抬头、空白背书并注明运费已付/到付的海运/联运/陆运提单。

Full set of clean on board Ocean/Combined Transportation/Land Bills of Lading and blank endorsed marked freight prepaid/ to collect;

(2) 标有合同编号、信用证号（信用证支付条件下）及装运唛头的商业发票一式＿＿份；

Signed commercial invoice in ______copies indicating Contract No., L/C No. (Terms of L/C) and shipping marks;

(3) 由＿＿＿＿＿＿出具的装箱或重量单一式＿＿份；

Packing list/weight memo in ______ copies issued by＿＿；

(4) 由＿＿＿＿＿＿出具的质量证明书一式＿＿份；

Certificate of Quality in _______ copies issued by＿＿＿＿；

(5) 由＿＿＿＿＿＿出具的数量证明书一式＿＿份；

Certificate of Quantity in ___ copies issued by＿＿＿＿；

(6) 保险单正本一式＿＿份(CIF 交货条件)；

Insurance policy/certificate in ___ copies (Terms of CIF)；

(7)＿＿＿＿签发的产地证一式＿＿份；

Certificate of Origin in ___ copies issued by＿＿＿＿；

(8) 装运通知(Shipping advice): 卖方应在交运后_____小时内以特快专递方式邮寄给买方上述第＿＿项单据副本一式一套。

The Seller shall, within ____ hours after shipment effected, send by courier each copy of the above-mentioned documents No. ＿＿.

15. 装运条款（Terms of Shipment）：

(1) FOB交货方式

卖方应在合同规定的装运日期前30天，以＿＿＿＿方式通知买方合同号、品名、数量、金额、包装件、毛重、尺码及装运港可装日期，以便买方安排租船/订舱。装运船只按期到达装运港后，如卖方不能按时装船，发生的空船费或滞期费由卖方负担。在货物越过船弦并脱离吊钩以前一切费用和风险由卖方负担。

The Seller shall, 30 days before the shipment date specified in the Contract, advise the Buyer by _______ of the Contract No., commodity, quantity, amount, packages, gross weight, measurement, and the date of shipment in order that the Buyer can charter a vessel/book shipping space. In the event of the Seller’s failure to effect loading when the vessel arrives duly at the loading port, all expenses including dead freight and/or demurrage charges thus incurred shall be for the Seller’s account.

(2) CIF或CFR交货方式

卖方须按时在装运期限内将货物由装运港装船至目的港。在CFR术语下，卖方应在装船前2天以＿＿＿＿方式通知买方合同号、品名、发票价值及开船日期，以便买方安排保险。

The Seller shall ship the goods duly within the shipping duration from the port of loading to the port of destination. Under CFR terms, the Seller shall advise the Buyer by _________ of the Contract No., commodity, invoice value and the date of dispatch two days before the shipment for the Buyer to arrange insurance in time.

16. 装运通知（Shipping Advice）：

一俟装载完毕，卖方应在＿＿小时内以＿＿＿＿方式通知买方合同编号、品名、已发运数量、发票总金额、毛重、船名/车/机号及启程日期等。

The Seller shall, immediately upon the completion of the loading of the goods, advise the Buyer of the Contract No., names of commodity, loading quantity, invoice values, gross weight, name of vessel and shipment date by _________ within ________hours.

17. 质量保证（Quality Guarantee）：

货物品质规格必须符合本合同及质量保证书之规定，品质保证期为货到目的港＿＿个月内。在保证期限内，因制造厂商在设计制造过程中的缺陷造成的货物损害应由卖方负责赔偿。

The Seller shall guarantee that the commodity must be in conformity with the quatity, specifications and quantity specified in this Contract and Letter of Quality Guarantee. The guarantee period shall be ______ months after the arrival of the goods at the port of destination, and during the period the Seller shall be responsible for the damage due to the defects in designing and manufacturing of the manufacturer.

18. 检验（Inspection） （以下两项任选一项）：

（1）卖方须在装运前＿＿日委托＿＿＿＿＿＿检验机构对本合同之货物进行检验并出具检验证书，货到目的港后，由买方委托＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿检验机构进行检验。

The Seller shall have the goods inspected by ______ days before the shipment and have the Inspection Certificate issued by____. The Buyer may have the goods reinspected by ________ after the goods誥rrival at the destination.

(2) 发货前，制造厂应对货物的质量、规格、性能和数量/重量作精密全面的检验，出具检验证明书，并说明检验的技术数据和结论。货到目的港后，买方将申请中国商品检验局(以下简称商检局)对货物的规格和数量/重量进行检验，如发现货物残损或规格、数量与合同规定不符，除保险公司或轮船公司的责任外，买方得在货物到达目的港后＿＿日内凭商检局出具的检验证书向卖方索赔或拒收该货。在保证期内，如货物由于设计或制造上的缺陷而发生损坏或品质和性能与合同规定不符时，买方将委托中国商检局进行检验。

The manufacturers shall, before delivery, make a precise and comprehensive inspection of the goods with regard to its quality, specifications, performance and quantity/weight, and issue inspection certificates certifying the technical data and conclusion of the inspection. After arrival of the goods at the port of destination, the Buyer shall apply to China Commodity Inspection Bureau (hereinafter referred to as CCIB) for a further inspection as to the specifications and quantity/weight of the goods. If damages of the goods are found, or the specifications and/or quantity are not in conformity with the stipulations in this Contract, except when the responsibilities lies with Insurance Company or Shipping Company, the Buyer shall, within _____ days after arrival of the goods at the port of destination, claim against the Seller, or reject the goods according to the inspection certificate issued by CCIB. In case of damage of the goods incurred due to the design or manufacture defects and/or in case the quality and performance are not in conformity with the Contract, the Buyer shall, during the guarantee period, request CCIB to make a survey.

19. 索赔（Claim）：

买方凭其委托的检验机构出具的检验证明书向卖方提出索赔（包括换货），由此引起的全部费用应由卖方负担。若卖方收到上述索赔后______天未予答复，则认为卖方已接受买方索赔。

The buyer shall make a claim against the Seller (including replacement of the goods) by the further inspection certificate and all the expenses incurred therefrom shall be borne by the Seller. The claims mentioned above shall be regarded as being accepted if the Seller fail to reply within ______days after the Seller received the Buyer’s claim.

20. 迟交货与罚款（Late delivery and Penalty）:

除合同第21条不可抗力原因外，如卖方不能按合同规定的时间交货，买方应同意在卖方支付罚款的条件下延期交货。罚款可由议付银行在议付货款时扣除，罚款率按每＿＿天收＿＿%，不足＿＿天时以＿＿天计算。但罚款不得超过迟交货物总价的____%。如卖方延期交货超过合同规定＿＿天时，买方有权撤销合同，此时，卖方仍应不迟延地按上述规定向买方支付罚款。

买方有权对因此遭受的其它损失向卖方提出索赔。

Should the Seller fail to make delivery on time as stipulated in the Contract, with the exception of Force Majeure causes specified in Clause 21 of this Contract, the Buyer shall agree to postpone the delivery on the condition that the Seller agree to pay a penalty which shall be deducted by the paying bank from the payment under negotiation. The rate of penalty is charged at______% for every ______ days, odd days less than _____days should be counted as ______ days. But the penalty, however, shall not exceed_______% of the total value of the goods involved in the delayed delivery. In case the Seller fail to make delivery ______ days later than the time of shipment stipulated in the Contract, the Buyer shall have the right to cancel the Contract and the Seller, in spite of the cancellation, shall nevertheless pay the aforesaid penalty to the Buyer without delay.

The buyer shall have the right to lodge a claim against the Seller for the losses sustained if any.

21. 不可抗力（Force Majeure）：

凡在制造或装船运输过程中，因不可抗力致使卖方不能或推迟交货时，卖方不负责任。在发生上述情况时，卖方应立即通知买方，并在＿＿天内，给买方特快专递一份由当地民间商会签发的事故证明书。在此情况下，卖方仍有责任采取一切必要措施加快交货。如事故延续＿＿天以上，买方有权撤销合同。

The Seller shall not be responsible for the delay of shipment or non-delivery of the goods due to Force Majeure, which might occur during the process of manufacturing or in the course of loading or transit. The Seller shall advise the Buyer immediately of the occurrence mentioned above and within_____ days thereafter the Seller shall send a notice by courier to the Buyer for their acceptance of a certificate of the accident issued by the local chamber of commerce under whose jurisdiction the accident occurs as evidence thereof. Under such circumstances the Seller, however, are still under the obligation to take all necessary measures to hasten the delivery of the goods. In case the accident lasts for more than _____ days the Buyer shall have the right to cancel the Contract.

22. 争议的解决 (Arbitration):

凡因本合同引起的或与本合同有关的任何争议应协商解决。若协商不成，应提交中国国际经济贸易仲裁委员会深圳分会，按照申请仲裁时该会现行有效的仲裁规则进行仲裁。仲裁裁决是终局的，对双方均有约束力。

Any dispute arising from or in connection with the Contract shall be settled through friendly negotiation. In case no settlement is reached, the dispute shall be submitted to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC),Shenzhen Commission for arbitration in accordance with its rules in effect at the time of applying for arbitration. The arbitral award is final and binding upon both parties.

23. 通知（Notices):

所有通知用＿＿＿＿文写成，并按照如下地址用传真/电子邮件/快件送达给各方。如果地址有变更，一方应在变更后＿＿日内书面通知另一方。

All notice shall be written in _____ and served to both parties by fax/courier according to the following addresses. If any changes of the addresses occur, one party shall inform the other party of the change of address within ____days after the change.

24. 本合同使用的FOB、CFR、CIF术语系根据国际商会《2000年国际贸易 术语解释通则》。

The terms FOB、CFR、CIF in the Contract are based on INCOTERMS 2000 of the International Chamber of Commerce.

25. 附加条款 (Additional clause)：

本合同上述条款与本附加条款抵触时，以本附加条款为准。

Conflicts between Contract clause hereabove and this additional clause, if any, it is subject to this additional clause.

26. 本合同用中英文两种文字写成，两种文字具有同等效力。本合同共＿＿ 份，自双方代表签字（盖章）之日起生效。

This Contract is executed in two counterparts each in Chinese and English, each of which shall deemed equally authentic. This Contract is in ______ copies, effective since being signed/sealed by both parties.

买方代表（签字）：

Representative of the Buyer

(Authorized signature):

卖方代表（签字）：

Representative of the Seller

(Authorized signature):

(Xi’an, September 5th， 2001)

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the golden autumn, I am very happy to welcome the distinguished guests
to China West Forum 2001 in the ancient capital Xi’an, an age-old and mysterious
city full of dynamism of the modern era. Taking this opportunity, I would
like to brief you on the new opportunities for foreign investment in the
west after China joins the WTO. I hope that foreign businesspeople could
take part in the development of western regions more actively to advance
the economic and social development of the vast western areas.

Ladies and gentlemen,

China has gone through a journey of 15 years in order to first resume the
contracting party status in GATT and later to enter the WTO. The twists
and turns over the past 15 years have been deeply embedded in the minds
of the Chinese people and witnessed by each and every foreign friend who
cares for and supports China’s cause of modernization. However, it is a
comfort to see that China’s accession to the WTO has been noticeably accelerated
with the concerted efforts of various relevant parties over recent years.

In May and June this year, China held consultations and reached comprehensive
consensus with US and EU on the outstanding issues in the multilateral
negotiation of China’s WTO accession. In early and mid July, the WTO held
the 16th and 17th sessions of the China Working Party Meeting, at which
the substantive negotiation on China’s WTO entry was concluded with the
drafting of the Protocol, Working Party Report and other multilateral legal
documents regarding China’s WTO accession completed. I believe at the 18th
Working Party Meeting to be convened in September, all the legal documents
on China’s accession will be eventually adopted and submitted to the WTO
General Council for review, thus wrapping up the historic mission of the
WTO Working Party on China. Hard endeavor of 15 years is about to turn
China’s entry to the WTO into a reality.

Ladies and gentlemen,

FDI absorption constitutes an important component of China’s basic state
policy of reform and opening up. As the reform and opening up going into
depth over the past two decades and more, China has been constantly improving
its FDI utilization in terms of scale and quality. As of the end of July
2001, China had cumulatively approved 378,000 foreign funded enterprises
with a contractual value of USD 717.01 billion, of which USD 372.83 billion
had been actually paid in.

China has maintained a good momentum in its FDI attraction since this year.
January through July, 14,000 foreign-invested enterprises were approved
to establish, 18.2% higher than the corresponding period of last year,
the contractual value of foreign investment grew by 45.8% to USD 40.29
billion and the actually utilized value climbed by 21.7% to USD 24.21 billion.

While the FDI absorption of the eastern areas is growing at a rapid speed,
the western regions have also made obvious headway in its FDI attraction.
Up to the end of June 2001, the project number, contractual value and actually
utilized value of FDI in the west accounted for 7.3%, 6% and 5.3% of the
national total. In the first 6 months of this year, 742 new foreign invested
enterprises were set up in the western regions with the contractual value
amounting to USD 1.91 billion and actually utilized value, USD 710 million.

Joining the WTO is an inherent requirement of China’s development of its
socialist market economy which also complies with the objective trend of
the world economic progress, and it will bring about unprecedented opportunities
to the economic and trade cooperation between China and various countries
and regions in the world. After becoming a member of the WTO, China will
open service areas such as banking, insurance, telecommunication, foreign

ASSIGMENT OF IP RIGHTS

Non-resident foreign investor receiving income for the Assignment of IP rights in the PRC will be subject to the following type of taxes: -

Type of tax Rate

Income tax 20% on gross sum paid and payable
Business tax 5% on gross sum paid and payable
Stamp tax 0.03% on gross sum paid and payable
Foreign companies and nationals must register their IP rights in accordance with the PRC law in order that these rights are legally protected inside the PRC. Note that under the PRC Trade Mark Law and the PRC Patent Law, agreements for the granting of IP license or the transfer of IP rights shall be registered with the PRC State IP authorities for record filing purposes and notify the public by putting up a public notice in the designated official publications. Otherwise, the agreements are not valid.

Agreements for the transfer of patent application rights or patent rights from PRC legal persons or individuals to foreign nationals and companies must obtain government vetting and approval. Otherwise, the transfer is unlawful.

The 10% withholding income tax shall apply to resident payers located in the Special Economic Zones, coastal Economic Technology Development Zones, and coastal open areas. 20% withholding tax rate shall apply to resident payers in other areas, and residents of a non-PRC treaty country.

According to the PRC Income Tax Law for Foreign Investment Enterprise and Foreign Enterprise, its Implementation Regulations, ministerial regulations and rules issued by the State Administration of Taxation, an RO that carries on business activities within the PRC is subject to tax on income derived from sources in the PRC irrespective of whether they are paid by any sources inside the PRC.

In the absence of complete and accurate information relating to the RO’s PRC-source income, the PRC tax authority normally adopts the cost plus method to ascertain the taxable income for practical reasons.

The major category of tax includes business tax and income tax. Business Tax is imposed at a rate of 5% on the total gross amount of monthly overheads incurred by the RO. The business tax is filed at monthly interval. Corporate Income tax is imposed at a rate of 33% on the deemed income. The deemed income is assessed at a rate of 10% on the total gross amount of overheads incurred by the RO during the relevant period. The RO must file income tax at a quarterly interval. For example, if the monthly overhead is RMB80,000, the business tax and income tax will be calculated as follows:-

Gross amount = RMB80,000 / (1-10%-5%) = RMB94,118
Business tax = RMB94118 * 5%
Income tax = RMB 94,118 * 10% (deemed profit) * 33%
The income tax rate of 33% including 3% local income tax will be reduced to 15% if the RO is located within the special economic zones or other designated areas.

The State Administration of Taxation (SAT) lists the following types of taxable activities that a representative office may perform: -

Acting as a merchandise trade agent;
Consulting services relating to business, legal, tax and accounting;
Services performed for a resident fellow subsidiaries of the same non-resident holding company;
Acting as advertising agents;
Providing services relating to visa handling, fee collecting, ticketing, tour operator, and hotel accommodation for non-resident tourist companies;
Consulting services given on behalf of non-resident financial institutions;
Providing services within the business scope of a transport company;
Other taxable activities the RO performs for the clients.
The following activities are not subject to income tax and business tax:-

Resident representative offices performing services of market research, providing business information, liaison, consulting for the non-resident head offices on a free of charge basis;
Resident representative offices taking instructions from resident companies to act for them as agent, and the agency activities are mainly performed outside the PRC.

Business Activities
In defining the business activities, the State Administration of Taxation, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (The MOFTEC is now called the Ministry of Commerce) have different provisions. The SAT prescribes what constitutes a taxable activity while the SAIC stipulates that the RO should be engaged in non-direct business activities, subject to provisions in the international agreement. (Specifically, the restrictions on income-earning business activities undertaken by RO’s in respect of legal, accounting, taxation, and management consulting are lifted in the WTO agreements China has acceded to.) The MOFTC also provides that the RO’s may only be engaged in non-direct business activities in respect of business liaison, product introduction, market research, and technical exchange on behalf of their heading office.

To determine whether certain activities are taxable, one has to consider the income tax rules rather than the types of activities an RO is allowed to do as stated in the scope of activities in the business licence . If the RO performs those non-direct activities for the client of its non-resident head office or other non-resident foreign companies on a fee basis, then the income derived from those activities is taxable under the PRC income tax rules .

The representative offices that do not carry on business activities or the RO’s that carry on non-taxable activities, can submit applications to the tax authority for the granting of a tax exemption certificate.

The table below may help analyze the issue:

Taxation on Employees
The RO has the legal obligation to deduct from its payroll the income tax and pay them to the local tax office. In addition, the RO and the staff have to bear certain social security contributions respectively including pension fund, hospitalization, unemployment, injury, and birth planning insurances. Please see the Individual Income Tax that follows on the income tax issue for foreign nationals and employees from Hong Kong , Macau and Taiwan .

Tax sparing credit
A Foreign Investment Enterprise who is a resident of a PRC treaty country is deemed to have paid the income tax under the indirect tax sparing credit provision in respect of any PRC tax concession and tax breaks being granted.
However, there is no tax sparing credit provision in the treaty concluded between the PRC and the USA.

Major PRC treaty countries by geographic area

Asia
Australia, Cyprus, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam;

Europe
Austria, Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the Russia;

Africa
South Africa, Mauritius, Egypt, and Nigeria

America
Canada, USA, Brazil, Cuba and Jamaica

Hong Kong residents are entitled to benefits of avoiding double income tax under the Arrangements concluded between the PRC Central People’s Government and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Economic Region.

It has been a 13-year journey from the preliminary work in 1994 to the passing of thePRC Enterprise Income Tax Law (referred to as “the EIT Law” hereafter) on 16th March 2007, which marked the completion of the unification of two tax systems for  domestically funded and foreign funded enterprises in China. It is a system innovation in the process of building socialism and a harmonized society within the country. To reap the benefits of the new tax system depends very much on its implementation in an effective manner. A few days ago, the State Council announced the long-awaited  Implementation Regulations of the PRC EIT Law (referred to as “the Implementation Regulations” hereafter), which is to come into play with the implementation of the  EIT Law.

To enable the taxpayers and the tax administrators to better understand and  follow the spirit inside the Implementation Regulations, the reporter interviewed theofficials in charge of the State Administration of Taxation on certain questions about  the Implementation Regulations. The officials in charge made the remarks that the drafting of the Implementation  Regulations followed the principles of legality, practicality, global convergence,conservatism, and easy operability. The drafts have brought the existing tax policyinto the contents of the Implementation Regulations and demonstrated the continuity  of the tax policies, without stepping outside the scope of the EIT Law. The Implementation Regulations give details to the EIT Law taking into account the economic activities and the latest development of the economic systems, and this hasdemonstrated the scientific properties of the current policies. In addition, the drafting  committee borrowed the prevailing international income tax policies and learned from  the experiences of international tax reforms. The Implementation Regulations have  embodied international custom and shows the forward-lookingness of the tax policies.According to the officials in charge, the Implementation Regulations contain 8 chapters with 133 clauses, mainly giving details to the provisions in the EIT Law. The  officials in charge gave detailed elaborations on certain key policies and designs in  the EIT Law.

The definition of actual management organization is to protect tax sovereignty.

To share the international experiences, the EIT Law expressly lays down the legal person income tax system, adopting the defined concept of resident and non-resident   enterprises.

The key to define the taxpayer under the legal person income tax system is the  criteria for resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. The EIT Law uses the  place of incorporation and actual management organization as the criteria todetermine the resident and non-resident enterprises. It is easier to understand and  apprehend place of incorporation but it is difficult to understand the criteria for placeof actual management. How is the place of actual management determined in theImplementation Regulations and what are the relevant considerations?

The officials in charge made the remarks that from the experiences of international practices in recent decades, the place of actual management is in general the place where the enterprise carries on its daily production and business activities. From a legal perspective, it also includes the place where important business decisions are made. From an administrative perspective, the tax law only lays down the principle or

does not lay down anything, leaving the detailed rules to be developed from decided tax cases. To protect tax sovereignty and the willful tax evasion, the Implementation Regulations have expanded the scope for place of actual management and provide that it is the place where the enterprise exercises actual and overall management and control over its production, staff, books of accounts and assets. That helps the issue of administrative decisions later with reference to the actual situations of the enterprises, better protect the tax sovereignty of our country. Detailed criteria can be developed by issuing ministerial rules from the practices in tax collections and administrations.

Budgeted fiscal appropriation is non-taxable income

The EIT Law introduces the concept of non-taxable income. Fiscal appropriation is one of the three items of non-taxable income. What about the various types of subsidies enterprises receive from local governments at the provincial levels or below? How is it provided under the Implementation Regulations?

The officials in charge remarked that the fiscal appropriation, defined as non-taxable income under the Implementation Regulations, is the funds appropriated to the institutions, social bodies and organizations administered under the budget of the local governments, with the exceptions that the State Council, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation provide otherwise. That in general excludes the subsidies and the rebates of local taxes that the enterprise receives from various local governments, and narrows down the scope for fiscal appropriations as an item of nontaxable income. The main considerations for these are (i) the various types of subsidies that the enterprise receives not only include exemption and reduction of turnover taxes, but also include special subsidies for the enterprises to carry on designated activities, both resulting in the increase in net assets and economic benefits flowing in, thus the imposition of income tax being lawful; (ii) the imposition of income tax on the enterprises that receive subsidies from local governments strength the dministration of tax exemption and reduction since the local governments offer various types of tax exemption and reduction in disguise in luring inbound investments, resulting in the erosion of the tax base at the national level; and (iii) the existing legal rules on accounting for government subsidies classify government subsidies as non-operating revenue. That tax rules should be consistent with the accounting rules on government subsidies.

Deduction of reasonable wages and salaries before tax

The EIT Law unifies the deduction of actual payments for various items of expenses,and provides that enterprises can claim deductions of actual and reasonable cost and expense before tax. The Implementation Regulations make specific provisions for the items to be deducted and the criteria for deduction before taxes.

According to the officials, in respect of deduction of wages and salaries, the Implementation Regulations provide that actual and reasonable wages and salaries can be deducted from income. It means that scrapping the limited deduction of wages and salaries for domestically funded enterprises in the past years relieve them of the tax burden. The amount of deducted wages and salaries must be reasonable. Obviously unreasonable amount is not deductible. To the employees in general, the remunerations that the enterprise pays should be considered to be reasonable. There

may be exceptions. Where the shareholders and their close relatives work as the employees in the company, the payment of excessive wages and salaries is thedistribution of dividends in disguise. Alternatively the wages and salaries of the management working for the state owned enterprises are raised in breach of the rules of the departments for the supervision and administration of state owned assets. All

these complicated cases relating to wages and salaries will erode the tax base of the enterprise income tax. To strengthen the administration over tax bases, the Implementation Regulations add the qualification “reasonable” to wages and salaries.The official revealed that the State Administration of Taxation shall issue the 5 “Administrative Measures for the Deduction of Wages” to clarify what is considered

to be “reasonable” wages and salaries in the Implementation Regulations.

60% of the incurred business entertainment expenses are deductible, not exceeding 0.5% on the sales (business) turnover for current year

The Implementation Regulations provide that 60% of the business entertainment expenses incurred in connection with production and business activities shall be deductible from income, but the maximum amount shall not exceed 0.5% of the sales (business) turnover for the current year. What are the policy considerations lying behind this rule?

The official said that the amount of business entertainment expenses is a mix of corporate entertainment and personal consumption. Among them, the personal consumption falls under non-business expenses that should not be deducted before tax. Therefore, there is a requirement to limit the amount of business entertainment to a certain percentage. However, it is difficult to distinguish between business entertainment and personal consumption. The international practice is to arbitrarily set

a relative percentage between the two. In Italy 30% of the business entertainment expenses is deductible before tax. In Canada, the amount is 80%. In the US and New Zealand, the amount is 50%. Taking into consideration of international practices and the existing practice of limiting the deduction of business entertainment to a percentage of the sales amount, we combine the two practices as per experts’ recommendations on the adoption of a strict policy: business entertainment is subject to a 60% deduction and not exceeding 0.5% of the sales amount (business turnover) for the current year.

Limiting the deduction of advising expenses to 15% on sales revenue, and remaining amount being carried over for deduction in future years

The Implementation Regulations consider the combined amount of advertising expenses and business promotion expenses, and provide that the amount of deductible advertising and promotion expenses shall not exceed 15% of the sales amount (business turnover), except for the provisions of the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation to the contrary. The amount exceeding the prescribed 15%

can be carried over to future tax years for deduction.

The officials in charge explained that advertising expenses that possess the properties of one-off payment of a large sum and benefit the enterprise for a long period of time should be regarded as a capitalized payment and cannot be deducted in whole in the current tax year. Business promotion has similar properties and should be subject to limits on deduction. The Implementation Regulations permit the deduction of advertising and promotion expenses up to 15% of the sales amount (business turnover), and that the portion in excess of the 15% can be carried over to future tax

years for deduction. The administration has given due consideration to the advertising and business promotion expenses in some industry sectors that require specific

measures to be adopted. In the light of expert opinions and views from relevant departments, the qualification “except for the provisions of the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation to the contrary” has been included in the Implementation Regulations with a view to making ministerial rules on the deduction of advertising and business promotion expenses for different industry sectors, in accordance with the provision for the delegation of rule making power in the EIT Law.

Indirect credit helps Chinese enterprises “go abroad”

In accordance with the EIT Law, the corporate income tax the resident enterprises bear indirectly on the dividend and bonus issues from equity investment outside China is eligible for indirect credit. The Implementation Regulations provide that the resident enterprise should hold 20% controlling interest in the equity of the foreign company. What are the policy considerations on this?

The officials said that the PRC EIT law retains the direct credit for tax paid on dividends and bonus issues at the shareholder level and it also introduces the indirect credit for tax on profits earned at the company level out of which the dividends and bonus issued are paid. The adoption of direct and indirect credits gives a helping hand to Chinese resident enterprises going international and increases their competitiveness

in international market. From the perspective of international practices, indirect credit are given on condition that resident enterprises should have actual equity investments in foreign companies. In accordance with the tax laws in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Mexico, resident enterprises holding 10% or more voting rights in the equity investment in foreign companies are eligible for indirect credit. The tax law

requires the equity interest in foreign companies to be 25% for Japanese and Spain investors. It is the first time the PRC EIT law adopts the indirect credit method. The Implementation Regulations provide that the equity interest in foreign companies is 20% for resident enterprises to receive the indirect credit.

New and high technology enterprises by industry sectors

In the light of the requirement for national economic and social development,successful international experiences and the requirement for simple tax system, broad tax bases, low tax rates, and stringent tax collections and administration, the PRC EIT Law adjusts and integrates the tax preferential policies for both domestically and foreign funded enterprises, and gives effect to changes in two dimensions: the tax

policy changes from region-specific preferences to industry-specific preferences,which is to be supplemented by regional tax preferences; the form of tax preferential treatment changes from direct tax exemption and reduction to direct tax exemption and reduction, which is to be combined with reduction in tax bases for indirect taxes.The Implementation Regulations make clarifications on the scope, the conditions, and

the recognition criteria for tax preferential treatments as laid down in the EIT Law.

The officials in charge said that there are three important issues in the recognition of new and hi-tech enterprises. The first is the scope of new and hi-technology enterprises. The Implementation Regulations change the classification of new and high technology by products to classification of the new and high technology by sectors. The Implementation Regulations provide that the products (services) of new and hi-tech enterprises should fall under the scope of <the new and hi-technology industry sectors that receive prior supports from the State> so that it can avoid the problems that product listing and coverage under existing policies are too narrow and that the existing policy is not forward looking. The second issue is the recognition criteria. The Implementation Regulations provide those criteria in principle: the amount of research and development as a percentage to sales; the sales revenue of new and hi-tech products (or services) as a percentage of total revenue; the ratio of employees who possess technical qualifications to the total number of employees in

the company, and other conditions to be met. The Ministry of Science and

Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Administration of Taxation shall formulate policies on this and give the detailed benchmarks with the flexibility to make adjustments for later development.

The third issue is the core proprietary IP rights. The Implementation Regulations lay down the primary requirement for getting recognized as new and high technology enterprises is the ownership in “proprietary IP rights”. In view of the fact that there is no official definition of “proprietary IP rights”, the inclusion of trademark rights, exterior design, copyright that may not have bearing on the core technological

competitiveness of the enterprise into the “proprietary IP rights” will make the scope too wide. The Implementation Regulations finally adopt the “core proprietary IP rights” as one of the criteria for getting recognized to be new and hi-tech enterprises. It is relatively easy to operate and has pointed out the direction for technological innovation. The key point is the IP rights that the enterprise owns and that give core

technical support to the main products and services of the enterprise.

Annual taxable income of small and low profit-making enterprise not exceeding

RMB300,000

The Implementation Regulations give the amount of annual taxable income, the number of employees and the amount of total assets as the benchmark for small profit-making enterprises. Specifically for production enterprises, the annual taxable income shall not exceed RMB300,000, total number of employees shall not exceed 100, and the total asset amount shall not exceed RMB 30 million; for non-production enterprises, the annual taxable income shall not exceed RMB300,000, the number of employees shall not exceed 80, and the total amount of assets shall not exceed RMB 10 million. The scope of the tax concession is larger and the magnitude of tax concession is higher than that as given under the old tax law for domestically funded enterprises.

The officials said that the dividing line that the annual taxable income is RMB300,000 drawn under the Implementation Regulations results from careful testing. About 40% of the enterprises shall be taxed at 20% given that this benchmark is adopted.

The business profits that non-profit making organizations earn are taxable

The PRC EIT Law provides that the income of qualified non-profit making

organizations is exempted from tax. Article 85 of the Implementation Regulations provides that the income of the qualified non-profit making organizations excludes the income derived from profit-making activities of the non-profit making organization. Why is it?

The officials in charge said countries all over the world make a distinction between profit-making and non-profit making activities and give tax preference to non-profit making activities. The relevant legal rules in China provide that non-profit making organizations cannot carry out profit-making activities. To regulate these organizations and plug the loophole that may arise from the profit making activities

carried out by these tax-exempt organizations, the Implementation Regulations expressly provide that the income derived from the profit-making activities would not be exempted from tax. Where some non-profit making organizations derive income from profit-making activities and use them in whole for charitable events, that should

be primarily encouraged under the national policies. Therefore, the Implementation Regulations include the qualification “except for the provision of the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation to the contrary”.

Dividend and bonus issue derived from investment over 12 months being exempted from tax

The PRC EIT Law provides that dividends, bonus issues and income from equity investment are tax-exempt income if they are distributed by resident enterprises that satisfy prescribed conditions. What are differences between the conditions to be met by the resident enterprises and the provisions on the taxation of dividends and bonus issues in the old tax law for domestically funded enterprises? What are the policy

considerations?

The officials in charge said that the exemption of income tax on dividend and bonus issues that are distributed among resident enterprises is to eliminate double taxation. Under the old tax regulations for domestically funded enterprises, the distribution of dividends from an enterprise that pays tax at a lower rate to an enterprise that pays tax at a higher rate attracts additional taxes for the high-tax enterprise on the rate

differences. In order to make the tax preferential treatment available to enterprises created in the development of the Western region, the new and high technology enterprises, and the small and low profit-making enterprises, the new EIT Law scraps the practice of imposing additional tax on the rate difference and exempts the income tax on dividend and bonus issues that are distributed by unlisted companies and listed companies, of which the ownership in the investment in the listed companies is over

12 months. To encourage direct investment in production and business activities, the stock speculations in the secondary capital market that is characterized by short-term ownership (less than 12 months) without the primary objective of receiving dividends and bonus issues should not become targets for tax preferential treatments.

The tax exemption and reduction commencing in the year the first sales transaction is reported

The Implementation Regulations provide that enterprises deriving income from the investment in projects of public basic infrastructure that receive primary support from the state shall enjoy tax preferential treatment in the form of “three years’ tax exemption and three years’ tax reduction”, commencing from the tax year in which the first sales transaction for the project is reported. The old tax law for foreign

invested enterprises provided that the year for tax exemption and reduction commences from the first profit-making year. The EIT Law has changed the previous practice from the first profit-making year to the year the first sales transaction occurs. What is the reason for this?

The officials in charge said that the old tax law for foreign invested enterprises adopted the first profit-making year as the year in which the tax exemption and reduction period commenced. That would in practice encourage the postponement of the first profit-making year to avoid paying taxes and made the tax collection and administration a difficult job. The Implementation Regulations adopt a new method under which the tax exemption and reduction commence from the year in which the first sales transaction is recorded. On one hand, this policy change can avoid the

practices by the foreign invested enterprises of putting off the first profit-making year to later years. On the other hand, this policy change can address the issue that the investment scale is big with long period of construction. It is more realistic to the situation under which the domestically funded enterprises receive tax preferences from the date of incorporation. It also encourages the enterprises to shorten the construction period, make the project profitable at the earliest possible moment and improve the return on investment.

Tax adjustment to strengthen the anti-tax avoidance measures

To comply with the relevant provisions on special tax adjustments in the EIT Law and learn from international experiences, the Implementation Regulations expressly lay down provisions for the related parties or associated enterprises in the transactions

with related parties, the adjustment methods for related party transactions, the principle of arm’s length transactions, advanced pricing agreements, the obligations for providing information, collecting taxes as per prescribed profit margins, preventing the use of controlled foreign corporations, prevention on thin capitalization,

general anti-tax avoidance, and the imposition of additional interest on overdue taxes.

The officials in charge said that these provisions strengthen the measures to combat tax avoidance, help prevent and stop acts of tax avoidance and safeguard the interests of the nation. He specially emphasized that after tax adjustments taking effects, the taxpayer, in addition to the payment of additional tax, is liable to a penalty interest that is computed with reference to the bank’s lending rate plus 5% in the period for which additional tax is collected. Where the taxpayer can submit the information to

the tax authority on time, it can be exempted from the payment of additional interest on tax.

Separate rules to be made for filing consolidated tax returns

The EIT Law follows model of the income tax on legal persons. Organizations that are not legal persons should file income tax returns that forms part of the consolidated tax turn for the head office. The filing of consolidated tax returns by head offices would relocate the tax revenues between different regions in the country. Both the taxpayers and local governments are very much concerned about this issue. The Implementation Regulations only lay down one provision in principle. What are the

policy considerations for this?

The officials in charge told us that in accordance with the EIT Law, business organizations that are not legal persons should file tax returns to the tax bureau in the city where the head office is located. That will cause relocation of tax revenue among different regions in the country, and should be dealt with in a reasonable way. We have performed many studies in order to solve the problem of relocation of tax revenues among different regions in a reasonable and proper way and balance the

interests among them after the implementation of the EIT Law and the

Implementation Regulations. The detailed measures shall be formulated by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation, and submitted to the State Council for approval before taking effect. Therefore, the Implementation Regulations only state the principles in general.

Parent and subsidiary companies no longer file group tax returns

The EIT Law provides that except for the provisions by the State Council to the contrary, enterprises should not file group income tax returns. However, the Implementation Regulations do not make relevant provisions for group of companies to file tax returns on a group basis. How will this problem be solved in future?

The official in charge said that as from 1994, the State Council has given approval to 120 large groups of corporations/enterprises to file group tax returns on a trial basis. The policy objective at that period of time is to relieve the enterprises of tax burden and support the development for the groups of enterprises because the operating results of the parent and individual subsidiaries did not present the true information

and it is difficult to distinguish between the enterprises that are operated in accordance with commercial principle and the enterprises that form part of the governmental organizations. With the implementation of the EIT Law, the parent and subsidiary corporations that are legal persons shall file tax returns and pay tax separately. Where there is a requirement to file group tax returns, the State Council shall make separate regulations. Implementation Regulations need not deal with this again since the EIT Law has already made the provisions and delegated the authority on this.

Order of the President of the People’s Republic of China
(No. 63)

The Enterprise Income Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China, which was adopted at the 5th Session of the 10th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on March 16, 2007, is hereby promulgated and shall come into force as of January 1, 2008.

President of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao

March 16, 2007

Enterprise Income Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China

(Adopted at the 5th Session of the 10th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on March 16, 2007)

Contents

Chapter I General Provisions

Chapter II Taxable Amount of Income

Chapter III Amount of Payable Taxes

Chapter IV Preferential Tax Treatments

Chapter V Withholding by Sources

Chapter VI Special Adjustments to Tax Payments

Chapter VII Administration of Tax Collection

Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 Within the territory of the People’s Republic of China, the enterprises and other organizations which have incomes (hereinafter referred to as the enterprises) shall be payers of the enterprise income tax and shall pay their enterprise income taxes in accordance with this Law.

This Law does not apply to the sole individual proprietorship enterprises and partnership enterprises.

Article 2 Enterprises are classified into resident and non-resident enterprises.

The term “resident enterprise” as mentioned in this Law refers to an enterprise which is established inside China, or which is established under the law of a foreign country (region) but whose actual institution of management is inside China.

The term “non-resident enterprise” as mentioned in this Law refers to an enterprise established under the law of a foreign country (region), whose actual institution of management is not inside China but which has institutions or establishments inside China; or which has not any institution or establishment inside China but which has incomes sourced in China.

Article 3 A resident enterprise shall pay the enterprise income tax on its incomes derived from both inside and outside China.

For a non-resident enterprise with an institution or establishment inside China, it shall pay enterprise income tax on its incomes derived from inside China as well as on incomes that it earns outside China but which has real connection with the said institution or establishment.

For a non-resident enterprise without any institution or establishment inside China, or for a non-resident enterprise whose incomes have no actual connection to its institution or establishment inside China, it shall pay enterprise income tax on the incomes derived from inside China.

Article 4 The enterprise income tax rate shall be 25%.

The tax rate which applies to a non-resident enterprise’s incomes as mentioned in paragraph 3, Article 3 of this Law shall be 20%.

Chapter II Taxable Amount of Income

Article 5 The balance after deducting the tax-free incomes, tax-exempt incomes, all deduction items as well as the permitted remedies for losses of the previous year(s) from an enterprise’s total amount of incomes of each tax year shall be the taxable amount of incomes.

Article 6 An enterprise’s monetary and non-monetary incomes from various sources shall be the total amount of incomes, including:

(1)income from the sale of goods;

(2)income from the provision of labor services;

(3)income from the assignment of property;

(4)dividend, bonus and other equity investment proceeds;

(5)income from interests;

(6)income from rentals;

(7)income from royalties;

(8)income from accepted donations; and

(9)other incomes.

Article 7 The following incomes included in the total amount of incomes shall be tax-free incomes:

(1)The appropriations from the treasury;

(2)The administrative fees and the governmental funds which are charged according to the law and fall under treasury administration; and

(3)Other tax-free incomes as prescribed by the State Council.

Article 8 The reasonable disbursements which are actually incurred and in which have actual connection with the business operations of an enterprise, including the costs, expenses, taxes, losses, etc., may be deducted in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes.

Article 9 With regard to an enterprise’s disbursements for public welfare donations, the portion which accounts for 12% of the total annual profits or less is allowed to be deducted.

Article 10 None of the following disbursements may be deducted in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes:

(1)Dividend, bonus and other equity investment proceeds paid to the investors;

(2)Payment for enterprise income tax;

(3)Late fee for taxes;

(4)Pecuniary punishment, fines, and losses of properties confiscated;

(5) Disbursements for donations other than those provided for in Article 9;

(6) Sponsorship disbursements;

(7) Unverified reserve disbursements;

(8) Other disbursements that have nothing to do with the obtainment of revenues;

Article 11 When calculating the taxable amount of incomes, an enterprise is allowed to deduct the depreciations of fixed assets calculated under the relevant provisions.

No depreciation may be calculated for any of the following fixed assets:

(1)The fixed assets which have not yet been put into use, excluding houses and buildings;

(2)The fixed assets rented in by way of commercial lease;

(3)The fixed assets rented out by way of finance leasing;

(4)The fixed assets for which depreciation has been allocated in full amount but which remain in use;

(5)The fixed assets which have nothing to do with the business operations;

(6)The land which is separately appraised and entered into account as an item of fixed asset; and

(7)Other fixed assets for which no depreciation may be calculated.

Article 12 When calculating the taxable amount of incomes, an enterprise is allowed to deduct the amortized expenses of intangible assets calculated according to the relevant provisions.

No amortized expense may be calculated for the following intangible assets:

(1)The intangible assets, for which the self-development expenses have been deducted in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes;

(2)The self-created business reputation;

(3)The intangible assets which have nothing to do with the business operations; and

(4)Other intangible assets for which no amortized expense may be calculated.

Article 13 The following expenses incurred by an enterprise shall, in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes, be treated as long-term deferred expenses. Those amortized under the relevant provisions are allowed to be deducted:

(1)The expenses for the rebuilding of a fixed asset, for which depreciation has been prepared in full amount;

(2)The expenses for the rebuilding of a rented fixed asset;

(3)The expenses for the heavy repair of a fixed asset; and

(4)Other expenses that shall be treated as long-term deferred expenses.

Article 14 During the period of external investment, an enterprise shall not deduct the costs of the investment assets when it calculates the taxable amount of incomes.

Article 15 Where an enterprise uses or sells its inventories, it is allowed to deduct the costs of the inventories calculated according to the relevant provisions in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes.

Article 16 Where an enterprise transfers an asset, it is allowed to deduct the net value of the asset in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes.

Article 17 When an enterprise calculates its enterprise income taxes on a consolidated basis, it shall not offset the losses of its overseas business institutions against the profits of its domestic business institutions.

Article 18 The losses incurred by an enterprise during a tax year may be carried forward and subtracted from the incomes during subsequent years for a maximum carry-forward period of 5 years.

Article 19 Where a non-resident enterprise obtains incomes as described in paragraph 3, Article 3 of this Law, it shall calculate the taxable amount of income through following approaches:

(1)The taxable amount of incomes from dividends, bonuses and other equity investment proceeds, interests, rentals and royalties shall be based on the total amount of incomes;

(2)The taxable amount of incomes from the assignment of property shall be the balance of the total amount of incomes less the net value of the property; and

(3)The taxable amount of any other income shall be calculated by reference to the approaches as mentioned in the preceding items.

Article 20 The specific measures for the scope and criterions of revenues and deductions, as well as the tax treatment of assets as provided for in the present Chapter shall be formulated by the treasury and tax administrative departments of the State Council.

Article 21 When calculating the taxable amount of incomes, if the enterprise’s financial or accounting treatment method does not conform to any tax law or administrative regulation, the taxable amount shall be calculated in accordance with the tax law or administrative regulation.

Chapter III Amount of Payable Taxes

Article 22 The amount of payable taxes shall be the balance of the taxable amount multiplied by the applicable tax rate minus the tax amounts deducted and exempted as provided for in the present Law .

Article 23 An enterprise may deduct from the taxable amount of incomes of the current period the amount of income tax it has already paid overseas for the following incomes. The limit of tax credit shall be the payable amount of taxes on such incomes computed according to this Law. The part exceeding the limit of tax credit may, during the five subsequent years, be offset by way of deducting the limit of tax credit of each year from the balance after the deduction of the limit of tax credit of the current year:

(1)A resident enterprise’s taxable incomes derived from outside China; and

(2)Taxable incomes earned outside China by a non-resident enterprise with institutions or establishments in China, but which have no actual connection with the said institutions or establishments.

Article 24 For the dividends, bonuses and other equity investment proceeds derived from outside China that a resident enterprise obtains from a foreign enterprise that it controls directly or indirectly, the portion of income tax on this income paid by the foreign enterprise outside China may be treated as the allowable tax credit of overseas income tax amount of the resident enterprise and be deducted within the limit of tax credit as prescribed in Article 23 of this Law.

Chapter IV Preferential Tax Treatments

Article 25 Preferential in enterprise income tax treatments are granted to the important industries and projects whose development is supported and encouraged by the state.

Article 26 The following incomes of an enterprise shall be tax-free incomes:

(1)The income from treasury bonds;

(2)Dividends, bonuses and other equity investment proceeds distributed between qualified resident enterprises;

(3)Dividends, bonuses and other equity investment proceeds which a non-resident enterprise with institutions or establishments in China obtains from a resident enterprise and which have actual connection with such institutions or establishments; and

(4)Incomes of qualified not-for-profit organizations.

Article 27 The enterprise income tax on the following incomes may be exempted or reduced:

(1)The incomes incurred from projects of agriculture, forestry, husbandry and fishery;

(2)The incomes incurred from business operations of the important public infrastructure investment projects supported by the state;

(3)The income incurred from the projects of environmental protection, energy and water saving, which meet the relevant requirements;

(4)The incomes incurred from the transfer of technologies, which meets the relevant requirements; and

(5)The income as prescribed in paragraph 3, Article 3 of this Law.

Article 28 The enterprise income tax on a small meagre-profit enterprise which meets the prescribed conditions shall be levied at a reduced tax rate of 20%.

The enterprise income tax on important high- and new-tech enterprises which are necessary to be supported by the state shall be levied at the reduced tax rate of 15%.

Article 29 The autonomous organ of an autonomous region of ethnic minorities may decide the reduction or exemption of the local portion of the enterprise income tax to be paid by enterprises within the said autonomous region. The decisions of deduction or exemption made an autonomous prefecture or county shall be submitted to the people’s government of the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government for approval.

Article 30 The following expenses of an enterprise may be additionally calculated and deducted:

(1)The expenses for the research and development of new technologies, new products and new techniques; and

(2)The wages paid to the disabled employees or other employees whom the state encourages to hire.

Article 31 A startup investment enterprise engaged in important startup investments which are necessary to be supported and encouraged by the state may deduct from the taxable amount of incomes a certain proportion of the amount of investment.

Article 32 Where it is surely necessary to accelerate the depreciation of any fixed asset of an enterprise because of technological progress or due to any other cause, it may shorten the term of depreciation or adopt an approach to accelerate the depreciation.

Article 33 The incomes generated by an enterprise from producing products conforming to the industrial policies of the state by way of comprehensive utilization of resources may be downsized in the calculation of the amount of taxable incomes.

Article 34 The amount of an enterprise’s investment in the purchase of special equipment for environmental protection, energy and water saving, work safety, etc. may be deducted from the tax amount at a certain rate.

Article 35 The specific measures for the preferential tax treatments as mentioned in this Law shall be formulated by the State Council.

Article 36 Where the national economic and social development so requires, or the business operations of enterprises have been seriously affected by emergencies and other factors, the State Council may formulate special preferential policies concerning the enterprise income tax and submitted them to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for archival purposes.

Chapter V Withholding by Sources

Article 37 The payable income taxes on the incomes as described in paragraph 3, Article 3 of this Law which a non-resident enterprise earns shall be withheld by sources, with the payer acting as the obligatory withholder. The tax amount shall be withheld by the obligatory withholder from each payment or payment due.

Article 38 For the payable income taxes on the incomes which a non-resident enterprise obtains from undertaking an engineering project or providing labor services inside China, the tax organ may designate the payer of the project price or remuneration as the obligatory withholder.

Article 39 For the income tax that shall be withheld under Articles 37 and 38 of this Law but which the obligatory withholder has failed to withhold or is unable to perform the withholding obligation, the taxpayer shall pay them at the place where the income has occurred. If the taxpayer fails to do so, the tax organ may recover the payable tax of the enterprise from its other income items inside China for which the payer should pay.

Article 40 A obligatory withholder shall turn over the tax payments which it withholds every time to the state treasury within 7 days after the date of withholding and submit to the local tax organ a form of report on the withheld enterprise income taxes.

Chapter VI Special Adjustments to Tax Payments

Article 41 With regard to a transaction between an enterprise and its affiliate, if the taxable revenue or income of the enterprise or its affiliate decreases due to inconformity with the arms length principle, the tax organ may make an adjustment through a reasonable method.

The costs of an enterprise and its affiliate for joint development or accepting the assignment of intangible assets, or jointly providing or accepting labor services shall, according to the arms length principle, be apportioned in the calculation of the taxable amount of incomes.

Article 42 An enterprise may file with the tax organ the pricing principles and computation approaches for the transactions between it and its affiliates, the tax organ and the enterprise shall enter into an advance pricing arrangement upon negotiations and confirmation.

Article 43 When an enterprise submits to the tax organ its annual enterprise income tax returns, it shall enclose an annual report on the affiliated transactions between it and its affiliates.

When the tax organ investigates into the affiliated transactions, the enterprise and its affiliates, as well as other enterprises relating to the affiliated transactions under investigation, shall provide the pertinent materials according to the relevant provisions.

Article 44 Where any enterprise refuses to provide the materials of transactions between it and its affiliates, or provides any false or incomplete materials which cannot reflect the true information about the affiliated transactions, the tax organ may decide its taxable amount of income upon check.

Article 45 With regard to an enterprise which is established by a resident enterprise or controlled by an resident enterprise or by a Chinese resident and which is located in a country (region) where the actual tax burden is obviously lower than the tax rate as prescribed in paragraph 1 of Article 4 of this Law, if the profits are not distributed or if less profits are distributed for a cause not attributable to reasonable business operations, the portion of the aforesaid profits attributable to this resident enterprise shall be included in its incomes of the current period.

Article 46 The interest disbursement for any credit investments and equity investments, which an enterprise accepts from its affiliates, in excess of the prescribed criterion shall not be deducted in the calculation of the taxable amount of income.

Article 47 Where an enterprise makes any other arrangement not for any reasonable business purpose, if its taxable revenue or income decreases, the tax organ has the power to make an adjustment through a reasonable method.

Article 48 If the tax organ makes an adjustment to a tax payment under the provisions of this Chapter and if it is necessary to recover the tax payment in arrears, it shall do so and charge an additional interest under the provisions of the State Council.

Chapter VII Administration of Tax Collection

Article 49 The administration of the collection of enterprise income taxes shall be governed by the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Tax Collection in addition to this Law.

Article 50 Unless it is otherwise provided for in any tax law or administrative regulation, the tax payment place of a resident enterprise shall be the registration place of the said enterprise. But if its registration place is without China, the tax payment place shall be the place where its institution of actual management is located.

A resident enterprise which has established operational institutions without legal person status in China shall calculate and pay its enterprise income taxes on a consolidated basis.

Article 51 Where a non-resident enterprise obtains any income as described in paragraph 2, Article 3 of this Law, the tax payment place shall be the place where the institution or establishment is located. Where a non-resident enterprise has established two or more institutions or establishments within China, it may, subject to the examination and approval of the tax organ, choose to have its main institution or establishment pay the enterprise income tax on a consolidated basis.

For a non-resident enterprise which obtains any income as described in paragraph 3, Article 3 of this Law, the place where the obligatory withholder is located shall be the place for the payment of enterprise income taxes.

Article 52 Unless it is otherwise provided for by the State Council, enterprises shall not pay their enterprise income taxes on a consolidated basis.

Article 53 Enterprise income taxes shall be calculated on the basis of a tax year. A tax year commences on January 1 and ends on December 31 of the Gregorian calendar year.

Where an enterprise starts or terminates its business operations in the middle of a tax year so that its actual business operation period in this tax year is shorter than 12 months, its actual business operation period shall constitute a tax year.

At the time of liquidation of an enterprise, the liquidation period shall be a tax year.

Article 54 Enterprise income taxes shall be paid in advance on the monthly or quarterly basis.

An enterprise shall, within 15 days after the end of a month or quarter, submit to the tax organ an enterprise income tax return for advance payment and pay the tax in advance.

An enterprise shall, within 5 months after the end of each year, submit to the tax organ an annual enterprise income tax return for the settlement of tax payments and settle the payable or refundable amount of taxes.

When an enterprise submits an enterprise income tax return, it shall attach to it the financial statements and other relevant materials according to the relevant provisions.

Article 55 When an enterprise terminates its business operation in the middle of a year, it shall, within 60 days after the actual date of termination of its business operations, apply to the tax organ for calculating and paying the enterprise income taxes of the current period.

Before an enterprise goes through the deregistration formalities, it shall make a declaration to the tax organ on the liquidation and shall pay the enterprise income taxes.

Article 56 Enterprise income taxes to be paid under this law shall be calculated on the basis of RMB. For any income calculated on the basis of a currency other than RMB, the amount of taxes shall be calculated and paid after this income is converted into RMB.

Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions

Article 57 The enterprises which have already been established prior to the promulgation of the present Law and enjoyed low tax rates according to the provisions of the tax laws and administrative regulations in force at that time may, according to the provisions of the State Council, continue to enjoy the preferential treatments within five years after the present Law is promulgated and gradually transfer to the tax rate as provided for in the present Law. Those which enjoy the preferential treatment of tax exemption for a fixed term may, according to the provisions of the State Council, continue to enjoy such treatment after the promulgation of the present Law until the fix term expires. However, for those that have failed to enjoy the preferential treatment due to failure to make profits, the term of preferential treatment may be counted as of the year when the present Law is promulgated.

Within the particular areas established by law for developing foreign economic cooperation and technological exchanges and the high- and new-tech enterprises that need the key support of the state newly established within the areas where the State Council has provided for the implementation of the abovementioned special policies may continue to enjoy transitional preferential tax treatments, with the specific measures thereof to be formulated by the State Council.

Other enterprises falling in the encouraged category as already determined by the State Council may enjoy the preferential treatment of tax reduction or exemption according to the provisions of the State Council.

Article 58 Where any provision in a tax treaty concluded between the government of the People’s Republic of China and a foreign government is different from the provisions in this Law, the provision in the said treaty shall prevail.

Article 59 The State Council shall formulate a regulation on the implementation of this Law.

Article 60 This law shall come into force as of January 1, 2008. The Income Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign-funded Enterprises and Foreign Enterprises as adopted at the 4th Session of the Standing Committee of the 7th National People’s Congress on April 9, 1991 and the Interim Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on Enterprise Income Tax as promulgated by the State Council on December 13, 1993 shall be repealed simultaneously.

According to statistics, the input VAT for purchased capital equipment in the experimental trial areas of northeast and central provinces amounted to RMB 24.4 billion. The cumulative offset and refund amount of VAT is RMB18.6 billion. The experimental trial worked smoothly and helped promote the economic development, capital asset replacement and technology improvement in the region. It also helped acquire the experiences for introducing the VAT transformation reform throughout the country.

As compared to the experimental trial, there have been three adjustments in the nation-wide VAT transformation reform: the first is abolition of VAT refund for purchased capital goods. Instead, the input credit method is used in the same way as in the purchase of raw materials for production; the second is the application of VAT transformation reform on a nation-wide basis, eliminating the restriction imposed on some regions and industries; the third is to ensure the positive impact of VAT transformation reform for expanding domestic demand, the credit for input VAT paid for purchased capital goods is no longer restricted to the increase in VAT payable amount.

In view of such situation, the introduction of VAT transformation reform will perform the important function of boosting the development of the enterprises, improving the competitiveness of the Chinese enterprise and the capability to cope with risks, and overcoming the adverse influences on China economy brought about by the international financial crises. According to estimates, the reform will cause fiscal revenue to drop by over RMB120 billion, and is the single largest tax cut in the history of the PRC. It is believed that the reform policy will have a positive impact on the sustained steady and relatively fast development of our country’s economy.

The VAT reform plan was tabled during the third plenary session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (the CPC), and the reform must be completed during the period of the 11th five-year plan in China. Since 1st July 2004, the experimental trials have been completed in the North East and Central part of China. The experimental trials were successful and have achieved the expected target. The 2008 State Council Work Report officially kicked off the reform plan for VAT system transformation. In the same year the 11th Session of the National People’s Congress examined and approved the report of the fiscal budget committee of the 11th Session of the NPC, which provides that the reform shall commence in 2009. The State Council decides to commence the transformation reform and perfect the VAT system of our country in order to meet the requirement of scientific
development of the tax system, finally perfect the VAT system and create the condition for the enactment of the VAT law by the NPC Standing Committee in five years’ time.